NEW YORK, New York -- On the eve of the biggest night of his professional career, Ranburne's Chase Whitley was sitting in a hotel room Wednesday watching his team, the New York Yankees, shut out the crosstown Mets 4-0.

His parents, Couch and Sue, had just arrived in town after a hastily scheduled flight. The former Ranburne High School and Troy University stand-out was called up this week for his first major league start, pitching in Citi Field for the Bronx Bombers against the Mets. The game begins at 6:10 p.m. CST and will be televised on YES.

He won't be the only rookie pitcher out there. The Mets will be sending out their own fresh face - righthander Jacob deGrom. In a season of early injuries to its pitching staff, the Yankees are looking for quick answers.

Still, how hard can this be? After all, Whitley's wife's name is ... Brooklyn.

"God's great," Whitley said, reflecting on finally making it to the big leagues. "Everything I do in this game is through Him. It's just the opportunity of a lifetime. It's what I've wanted to do ever since I was a little kid, and to be able to do it on a big stage makes me feel pretty good."

Drafted in 2010 out of Troy, Whitley has played with the Yankees' affiliate clubs in Staten Island, Tampa, Trenton and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, where he has been the last three seasons. A righthander used mostly in relief, Whitley this season has a 2.39 ERA in six starts. He has thrown 26.1 innings, striking out 32 while walking seven.

Whitley had suspected the call might be coming for days. He was scratched from a planned start and then his innings were limited. Then he was told to take batting practice and do some bunting. Finally, he got the call while he was in Lehigh Valley, Penn., two hour's drive from New York.

On Wednesday, he took a trip to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to get in some running and throwing, and a little inspiration.

"It was cool," he said. "I got there early, just to see it with nobody around. It felt real cool that way. I think it'll help me out tomorrow (Thursday)."

Whitley said he is still adapting and learning how to pitch. This year, he has made a real commitment to learning the rhythms of the position and the game, he said, as well as being more aggressive on mound.

"When I first started out, I was just a third baseman getting up there and throwing," he said. "Now I'm not learning how to pitch and taking the pressure off myself. Now it's just me versus the hitter, and not me versus three hitters in a row. That took some time to learn."

Having played some with the Yankees in the spring, he feels like he already knows several players on the roster, he said. Closer David Robertson hails from Birmingham.

As for the rest, he doesn't have any pre-game rituals, he said.

"I'll just leave in the Lord's hands," he said. "This wouldn't have happened without him."